Many of us grew up singing the hymn "Beneath the Cross of Jesus" with it's memorable line: "I take, O cross, thy shadow for my abiding place ..." This image of "the shadow of the cross" has been used in many different ways by poets and writers. In the hymn, it refers to a place of refuge and rest "from the burning of the noon-tide heat and the burdens of the day." The hymn also refers to the strength-giving character of the cross by comparing it to "the shadow of a mighty rock within a weary land." Surely the shadow of the mighty cross, like the "Mighty Fortress" of Martin Luther's hymn, has been a refuge and strength to Christians throughout the centuries!

But some have been critical of the way the cross hangs as a shadow over Christian people. They point to events like the Crusades, dur…